Residents press council for downtown parking garage, transparency on 'deck' connector; nonprofit introduces homelessness outreach

Several residents used the public-comment period at the July 1 McKinney City Council meeting to press the council for clearer plans on downtown parking and to raise safety and management questions about a proposed deck or connector project; a local organizer also introduced a new homelessness outreach group.

Jim Schwalz, a local resident who said he works in real-estate consulting, told the council the city’s square remains the heart of McKinney and urged officials to consider building “at least 1 strategically located garage” on former city office tracts to address persistent parking shortages. “Success may kill the golden goose,” Schwalz said, adding that the city could consider graduated or paid parking to keep short-term spaces available. He also recommended technology such as phone apps that show available spaces and parking-time reminders.

Kyle Sims, another resident, said he supports connecting the east and west sides of Highway 5 but urged transparency about safety measures for any proposed underground or covered connector — referred to in public discussion as a “deck.” “I’m not opposed at all for connecting East Of Highway 5 to West Of Highway 5,” Sims said, “but with the proposal that I’ve heard about… I have a big concern about safety. If we're gonna do something underground, I would like to know camera outlay, lights, what kind of management is it… is it gonna be open 24/7? What are we gonna do about the homeless, what are we gonna do about vagrancy?” Sims asked the council to share details on amenities, security and costs as the project moves forward; he also noted public outreach steps such as a survey and additional meetings are expected.

Paul Ballesteros, founder of Emmanuel Labor, introduced his organization and described its approach to homelessness as relationship-based outreach and follow-up. “Homeless is a situation and not a personality trait,” Ballesteros said, adding that many people experiencing homelessness in McKinney have existing ties to the community. He said his group focuses on “hand up” follow-up to reduce time people spend in crisis and wastes of public resources.

Mayor and council members did not take action during the public-comment period; the remarks were recorded as input for city officials and staff. City staff have previously noted outreach efforts and surveys related to the downtown connector; the transcript indicates further public engagement is planned.